Chapter 304
The Si household was bustling early in the morning when Zhang Cuimei received a call from her younger sister, Zhang Xiaoyun, informing her that Si Nian's adopted son had been kidnapped.
Zhang Xiaoyun worked at the Public Security Bureau. As soon as she arrived at the station that morning, she heard about the child abduction case at the Foreign Language Primary School. When she learned that one of the children was Si Nian's adopted son, she almost laughed out loud.
She immediately called Zhang Cuimei to share the news.
Back when she heard Si Nian was going to teach at the Foreign Language Primary School, she had privately asked Zhang Cuimei to help get her own son enrolled.
But Zhang Cuimei said Si Nian wouldn't even acknowledge her anymore.
She felt that her sister had raised a daughter who turned out to be nothing but an ungrateful wretch.
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Cuimei was first shocked, then sneered coldly: "It's just an adopted son, not her own flesh and blood. Good riddance if he's gone."
"Sis, you better be careful. If she can't find anyone to help, she might come bothering you and brother-in-law. I heard she's been pouring her heart and soul into those Zhou family kids, even managed to send all those country bumpkins to the Foreign Language Primary School."
"Hmph!" Zhang Cuimei retorted immediately, "I won't help her. Even if she kneels and begs me, I won't lift a finger."
"Back then, Sisi just made a momentary mistake, and she apologized! We even went to beg Si Nian and returned all the money! But her!" Zhang Cuimei fumed, "She showed no regard for our years of raising her, insisted on sending Sisi to jail, made Sisi suffer terribly in prison! What face does she have now to ask for our help?"
"So you're washing your hands of it?" Zhang Xiaoyun gloated. "Didn't I hear she only married into that family to take care of the kids? Now that a child is kidnapped, maybe the man will divorce her. She wouldn't dare come back and try to steal Fu Yang from your Sisi, would she?"
"How dare she!" Zhang Cuimei raged. "She's just damaged goods, already been married. How could she possibly be worthy of competing with Sisi for Fu Yang?"
Lately, Zhang Cuimei had been at odds with her husband, who was rarely home.
On top of that, the Fu family clearly wanted nothing to do with them and even planned for Fu Yang to divorce their daughter once he returned.
Zhang Cuimei's resentment now ran deeper than any ghost's.
If Si Nian dared to show up now, she'd tear her to pieces.
She hung up the phone, immediately went to warn the guards at the gate, telling them under no circumstances to let Si Nian in if she came.
Then, seething with anger, she stormed over to Old East Street, eager to dash any hope Si Nian might have—they would absolutely not help her.
Sure enough, when she arrived at the Zhou residence, she saw two children, one big and one small, standing at the door.
The younger one, Yaoyao, seemed a bit frightened upon seeing her and hid behind Zhou Zedong.
Zhou Zedong frowned at the visitor.
He knew who this was—his mother's adoptive mother.
She was always very harsh with Mom, definitely not a good person.
"Where's Si Nian? Where has she gone off to?" Zhang Cuimei saw the two children standing dumbly at the door and paid them no mind as she asked.
Only then did Zhou Zedong look at her. "My mom isn't home. Do you need something from her?"
"Not home? Fine, it's just as well. I don't want to see her anyway." Zhang Cuimei snorted coldly. She was genuinely worried that Si Nian might come begging, and if outsiders saw...
If she didn't help, it would look bad, and she was afraid of gossip.
After much thought, she decided to come herself and warn her.
"Tell your mother not to come pestering us about your brother being kidnapped. Our Si family will absolutely not help her. She should give up that idea!"
Hearing this, Zhou Zedong's eyes turned cold.
He knew his brother was missing and had suspected it might be a kidnapping.
Such things happened in their village when they were young; those taken never came back.
But he had kept comforting himself that his brother would surely be okay.
He never expected someone to just blurt it out like that.
The Eldest Child's expression turned sinister, his fists clenched.
Looking at her gloating, disdainful face, he said coldly, "My mom would never beg you."
"Hah, easy for you to say. Who knows where your father has gone? Maybe he's abandoned you all. Without your father, who else can help you?" Zhang Cuimei had made inquiries. Zhou Yueshen had disappeared for quite some time, no one knew what happened.
It wasn't strange these days for men to abandon their wives and children.
In a situation like this, who could Si Nian turn to for help besides familiar acquaintances like them?
Even if Director Li was willing to help, that child might not necessarily be found.
"Your brother is definitely not coming back. Serves you right! Blame Si Nian for doing too many wicked things, dragging you all down to suffer the consequences!" All the resentment Zhang Cuimei had bottled up lately came pouring out.
Seeing Zhou Zedong's face grow paler and paler actually made her feel increasingly pleased.
Zhou Zedong's eyes reddened. "You're lying! My brother will definitely be found!"
Yaoyao, hearing that her second brother would never come back, was scared and started wailing.
Zhang Cuimei sneered, "How am I lying? Aren't there plenty of kidnapping cases these days? Have you ever heard of anyone being found? You're just dreaming!"
"Don't you dare say bad things about my brother!" Zhou Zedong charged at her angrily and shoved her.
Caught off guard, Zhang Cuimei fell to the ground with a cry of "Ouch!"
"You little brat! Truly raised by a mother who doesn't know how to raise children!"
"Serves you right that your brother was kidnapped. You'll never see him again in this lifetime—"
As soon as the words left her mouth, an icy female voice sounded from behind. "Who are you saying 'serves right' to be kidnapped?"
Zhang Cuimei froze, turned her head, and saw Si Nian walking towards them, holding a child's hand.
Seeing his brother, the younger boy immediately ran over.
"Brother! Yaoyao! I'm back!"
"Xiao Han!" Zhou Zedong's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief at the sight of his brother.
When he heard his brother had been taken by traffickers, he felt like the sky had fallen.
Thank goodness his brother was okay, thank goodness he was back...
Zhou Zedong's eyes were bloodshot, tears falling pattering down.
He hugged Zhou Zehan tightly, choking up, "I'm sorry, Xiao Han. It's all my fault. From now on, I'll never go off to play by myself without you guys again. It's all my mistake."
Back in their village when they were little, there were child kidnappings, so Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan had always been inseparable.
But after moving to the city, he had grown complacent.
He thought his brother had made friends and didn't need him watching all the time.
Not keeping him company at home was bad enough, but even when going out to play, he got absorbed in number games.
And then he lost his brother.
He was truly useless.
Zhou Zedong's crying was heartbreaking.
Si Nian's cold gaze remained fixed on Zhang Cuimei.
She had heard Zhang Cuimei's taunting voice from afar.
The incident with the younger boy being kidnapped had hit the Eldest Child the hardest.
Last night, before she left, the look in his eyes had been utterly despairing.
And at a time like this, Zhang Cuimei came to pour oil on the fire and add insult to injury.
She was rotten to the core!
Si Nian had originally thought this person was merely selfish.
But now it seemed her assessment had been too generous.
Zhang Cuimei stared at her, rigid.
I really never imagined I could be so unlucky, to be caught red-handed while speaking ill of someone.
Grandma Jiang and Division Commander Jiang naturally heard it too, staring at her in disbelief with clear displeasure in their eyes.
Who on earth would curse a child like that?
It was simply too vicious!